Dr. Ryan M. Kempster
www.ryankempster.com
Dr. Ryan M. Kempster
CONTACT DETAILS
Address:
School of Animal Biology and the Oceans Institute
Neuroecology Group (M317)
The University of Western Australia
35 Stirling Highway
Crawley, WA 6009
Tel:
email for number
Email:
[email protected]
Websites:
ryankempster.com (Personal); supportoursharks.com (Professional)
Social Media:
facebook.com/supportoursharks; twitter.com/supportourshark;
Instagram.com/supportoursharks; youtube.com/ryankempster.
SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS
16 Scientific
Publications
$1 Million+
Research Funding
Experienced
Team Leader
Experienced
Public Presenter
350+ Media
Interviews/Articles
First Aid
Certification
Remote Fieldwork
Experience
14 years of Marine
Science Experience
PADI DiveMaster
200+ Dives
Powerboat License
150+ Hours
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

PhD, Neuroecology
Australia
2010-2014
University of Western Australia (www.uwa.edu.au)
For my PhD, I investigated the behaviour and biology of elasmobranchs to develop improved
enrichment programs, and to better understand the effectiveness of shark deterrent devices.

MSc, Marine Biology
Bangor University (www.bangor.ac.uk)
United Kingdom
2006-2007
For my MSc, I completed a range of multi-disciplinary course modules, in addition to an
independent research project focused on the feeding behaviour of sharks.

BSc (Hons), Marine Biology
Bangor University (www.bangor.ac.uk)
United Kingdom
2002-2005
For my BSc, I completed an extensive range of topics, including, but not limited to, animal
behaviour, anatomy, ecology, oceanography, and conservation.
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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Founder and Director - Support Our Sharks (SOS) Ocean Conservation Society
International
2010-Present
www.supportoursharks.com
I founded SOS to educate the public about elasmobranch conservation, through outreach
and research, in the hope of inspiring interest in protecting these important animals.

Research Associate - The UWA Oceans Institute
Australia
2013-2017
www.oceans.uwa.edu.au
I lead a team of scientists, students, and technical staff to test and develop a range of sharkmitigation technologies utilising both aquarium- and field-based behavioural experiments.

Aquarium Manager - University of Western Australia
Australia
2010-2016
www.uwa.edu.au
The UWA aquarium housed a diverse range of species, from crocodiles to sharks. My duties
included general husbandry, maintenance, disease recognition, animal collection, and more.

Lecturer/Lab Demonstrator - University of Western Australia
Australia
2010-2016
www.uwa.edu.au
I taught in a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses including Neuroecology,
Marine Biology, Marine Ecology, Science Communication, and Shark Conservation.

Travelling Scientist - SPICE Travelling Scientist Program
Australia
2010-2016
www.spice.wa.edu.au
In 2011, I was selected to be a Travelling Scientist, which provided funding for me to travel
around Australia to give inspiring marine conservation talks to high school students.

Aquarist/Marine Educator/Diver - Blackpool Sea Life Centre
www.visitsealife.com
United Kingdom
2009-2010
My duties included general maintenance of aquarium exhibits, educational dive shows inside
the shark tanks, daily feeding, monitoring, and water quality assessments.

Field Officer - Pretoma Sea Turtle Conservation Program
Costa Rica
2009
www.pretoma.org
I lead a team of volunteers to monitor and tag turtle populations, which involved daily
maintenance of a turtle egg hatchery, nightly patrols, and educational visits to local schools.

Chief Scientific Officer - Greenforce Marine Conservation Program
www.greenforce.org
Fiji & The Bahamas
2007-2009
I trained teams of volunteers, based in remote locations, to conduct scientific diving surveys
on coral reefs to assess local fish, coral and invertebrate abundance.
AWARDS and PRIZES
Total Value of Awards and Prizes to date: $16,350

The Animal Biology Davies Prize ($250)
2014
University of Western Australia (www.animals.uwa.edu.au)

Editor’s Choice Award – Free Open Access (worth $3,500)
2013
Brain, Behaviour and Evolution (www.karger.com)
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Awarded Free Open Access (worth $1,350)
2013
PLOS One (www.plosone.org)

Awarded Free Open Access (worth $2,700)
2013
Marine Biodiversity Records (www.journals.cambridge.org/MBD)

Student Travel Award ($800)
2013
American Elasmobranch Society (www.elasmo.org)

International Three Minute Thesis Competition ($3,500)
2011
University of Western Australia (www.uwa.edu.au)

Student Travel Award ($400)
2011
Oceania Chondrichthyan Society (www.oceaniasharks.org.au)

WA Three Minute Thesis Competition ($1,500)
2010
University of Western Australia (www.uwa.edu.au)

Student Travel Awards (Totalling $2,400)
2010-2013
University of Western Australia (www.uwa.edu.au)
GRANTS and SCHOLARSHIPS
Total value of Grants and Scholarships to date: $1,164,000

Kempster RM, Kerr CC and Collin SP (2016) Assessment of shark attack repellent technology.
Shark Attack Mitigation Systems. ($238,000)

Hart NS, Collin SP and Kempster RM (2014-2016) A case of mistaken identity? Discovering the
sensory cues that trigger shark attacks. WA Office of Science Applied Research program (ARP)
Shark Hazard Mitigation. Western Australian State Government. ($284,000)

Hart NS, Collin SP and Kempster RM (2013-2015) Development and testing of novel shark
deterrents. WA Office of Science Applied Research program (ARP) Shark Hazard Mitigation.
Western Australian State Government. ($222,000)

Collin SP, Hart NS and Kempster RM (2013-2015) Testing and enhancement of existing shark
deterrents. WA Office of Science Applied Research program (ARP) Shark Hazard Mitigation.
Western Australian State Government. ($220,000)

Kempster RM (2013) The role of electroreception in elasmobranchs, PhD. UWA Completion
Scholarship. University of Western Australia. ($20,000)

Kempster RM (2011-2013) The role of electroreception in elasmobranchs, PhD. International
Postgraduate Research Scholarship. University of Western Australia. ($112,000)

Kempster RM (2010) The role of electroreception in elasmobranchs, PhD. Endeavour Europe
Award. ($60,000)

Kempster RM (2006-2007) Marine Biology, MSc. European Social Funding. Bangor University,
U.K. ($8,000)
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PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
Publication Metrics
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Total Publications: 16
Publication Rate: 3.2/year
First Author Publication Rate: 1.8/year
Total Citations: 95
Citation Rate: 19/year
h-index: 7; i10-index: 5; M-quotient: 1.4.
First Publication: 2011; Awarded PhD: 2014.
Table 1. Summary of journal articles and their impact metrics.
Journal
No. Articles
Citations
(1st author)
Impact Factor
ISI Ranking
(5 Year)
ISI Ranking Top %
(Quartile)
Multidisciplinary Sciences
PLoS One
2
(2)
14 + 0
3.534
PeerJ PrePrints
1
(0)
0
Brain, Behavior and Evolution
2
(1)
7+0
4.288
(3.109)
2/153
1%
(Q1)
Zoology
1
(0)
5
1.596
(1.777)
40/153
26%
(Q2)
Marine and Freshwater Research
2
(1)
1+0
2.25
(2.191)
10/50
19%
(Q1)
Journal of Fish Biology
3
(1)
19 + 17 + 8
1.734
(1.870)
16/50
31%
(Q2)
Aquatic Biology
2
(2)
13 + 11
1.258
(1.504)
61/103
59%
(Q3)
Marine Biodiversity Records
1
(1)
0
14
(8)
95
-
(4.015)
-
8/55
-
14%
-
(Q1)
-
Zoology
Fisheries
Marine and Freshwater Biology
Total
-
-
-
-
-
Book Chapters

Collin SP, Yopak K and Kempster RM (2015) Sensing the environment. In Physiology of
elasmobranch fishes Volume 34. (Eds. Shadwick RE, Farrell AP and Brauner CJ). Elsevier, Inc.

Kempster RM and Collin SP (2014) Iconic Species: Great White Sharks, Basking Sharks and Whale
Sharks. In Sharks: Conservation, Governance and Management. (Eds. N Klein and E Techera).
Earthscan (Routledge, Taylor & Francis).
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Kempster RM, Egeberg CA, Hart NS, Ryan L, Chapuis L, Kerr CC, Schmidt C, Huveneers C,
Gennari E, Yopak KE and Collin SP (2016) How close is too close? The effect of a non-lethal
electric shark deterrent on white shark behaviour. PLoS One.
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
Garza-Gisholt E, Kempster RM, Hart NS and Collin SP (2015) Visual specializations in five
sympatric species of stingrays from the family Dasyatidae. Brain, Behavior and Evolution 85 (4):
217-232.

Kempster RM, Egeberg CA, Hart NS, and Collin SP (2015) Electrosensory-driven feeding
behaviour of the Port Jackson shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) and Western shovelnose ray
(Aptychotrema vincentiana). Marine and Freshwater Research 67(2): 187-194.

Schifiliti M, McLean DL, Langlois T, Birt M, Barnes P, Kempster RM (2014) Are depredation rates
by reef sharks influenced by fisher behaviour? PeerJ PrePrints 2:e708v1

Egeberg CA, Kempster RM, Theiss SM, Hart NS and Collin SP (2014) The distribution and
abundance of electrosensory pores in benthic sharks: a comparison of wobbegong (Orectolobus
maculatus) and angel (Squatina australis) sharks. Marine and Freshwater Research 65 (11):
1003-1008.

Camilieri-Asch V, Kempster RM, Collin SP, Johnstone R, Theiss SM (2013) A comparison of the
electrosensory morphology of a euryhaline and a marine stingray. Zoology 116 (5): 270-276.

Kempster RM, Garza-Gisholt E, Egeberg CA, Hart NS, O’Shea OR, Collin SP (2013) Sexual
dimorphism of the electrosensory system: a quantitative analysis of nerve axons in the dorsal
anterior lateral line nerve of the blue spotted fantail stingray (Taeniura lymma). Brain, Behavior
and Evolution 81 (4): 226-235.

O'Shea OR, Thums M, van Keulen M, Kempster RM, Meekan MG (2013) Dietary partitioning by
five sympatric species of stingray (Dasyatidae) on coral reefs. Journal of Fish Biology 82 (6):
1805-1820.

Kempster RM, Hart NS, Collin SP (2013) Survival of the Stillest: Predator Avoidance in Shark
Embryos. PLoS ONE 8: e52551.

Kempster RM, Hunt DM, Human BA, Egeberg CA, Collin SP (2013) First record of the mandarin
dogfish Cirrhigaleus barbifer (Chondrichthyes: Squalidae) from Western Australia. Marine
Biodiversity Records 6: e25.

Kempster RM, McCarthy ID, Collin SP (2012) Phylogenetic and ecological factors influencing the
number and distribution of electroreceptors in elasmobranchs. Journal of Fish Biology Special
Issue: The Current Status of Elasmobranchs: Biology, Fisheries and Conservation 80: 2055-2088.

Fitzpatrick JL, Kempster RM, Daly-Engel TS, Collin SP, Evans JP (2012) Assessing the potential for
post-copulatory sexual selection in elasmobranchs. Journal of Fish Biology Special Issue: The
Current Status of Elasmobranchs: Biology, Fisheries and Conservation 80 (5): 1141-1158.

Kempster RM, Collin SP (2011) Electrosensory pore distribution and feeding in the basking shark
Cetorhinus maximus (Lamniformes: Cetorhinidae). Aquatic Biology 12: 33-36.

Kempster RM, Collin SP (2011) Electrosensory pore distribution and feeding in the megamouth
shark Megachasma pelagios (Lamniformes: Megachasmidae). Aquatic Biology 11: 225-228.
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OUTREACH
Outreach Metrics
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Social Media Reach: 200,000+ Users
Professional Articles Written: 35
Short Films Produced: 15
Media Interviews Conducted: 350+
TV/Film Appearances: 11
Public/Professional Seminars: 300+
High School Presentations: 200+
Selected Media Interviews

Shark files: new site wants your shark sightings. Discovery News (27th May 2015). “Started by
shark biologists Ryan M. Kempster and Channing A. Egeberg, SharkBase gives citizen conservationists a
place to report shark sightings, ‘whether you’ve seen a shark or not’…”

Tiger shark shot and dumped at sea as cull begins in Western Australia. Scientific American (29th
January 2014). “Ryan Kempster, a shark biologist at the University of Western Australia and founder of
Support Our Sharks, counters that ‘there is no evidence that the current approach taken by the WA
government will reduce shark bite incidents’…”

Shark embryos ‘freeze’ to evade predators. BBC Nature (10th January 2013). “Australian
researchers found that [shark] embryos could identify electric fields simulating a nearby predator, despite
being confined to a tiny egg case…”

Rare sharks turn up in Australia. NBC News (1st March 2013). “After two years of thorough
investigation which included DNA sequencing, the sharks were identified as mandarin dogfish
(Cirrhigaleus barbifer), a species never before seen in Australia, said study co-author Ryan Kempster…”

The Megamouth – The shark that sucks. New Scientist (9th March 2011). “[Ryan Kempster] thinks
the megamouth’s maw holds so much water that, if it simply swam into a cloud of plankton with its
mouth open, they would be pushed aside rather than drawn in…”
Selected TV/Film Appearances

Operation Maneater: Great White Shark. UK Channel 4/PBS (2014). “Mark Evans travels to
Western Australia, where authorities have implemented radical measures to catch and kill any shark they
deem a threat. Evans meets with scientists to explore non-lethal solutions to keep people…”

Why Sharks Attack. Nova-PBS (2014). “In recent years, an unusual spate of deadly shark attacks has
gripped Australia. To separate fact from fear, NOVA teamed up with leading shark experts in Australia
and the United States to discover the science behind the great white's hunting instincts…”
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Australia’s Deadliest: Shark Coast. National Geographic (2013). “Western Australia’s pristine
coastline has been ravaged by a deadly predator, but one shark investigation team’s extraordinary
technological advancements may someday allow sharks and humans to co-exist safely…”

Shark Repellents. ABC Catalyst (2012). “Graham Phillips discovers how understanding a sharks'
sensory system could help people swim safely amongst the carnivorous fish…”
Selected Films Produced

Shark Science 101 Animated Series (2015). Shark Science 101 is an animated series I created to
showcase the importance of sharks to an audience of all ages.

Go Mercury Free Animation (2014). The Go Mercury Free animation encourages people to say no to
consuming sharks and other large predatory fish.

Do Sharks Need to Be Controlled (2014). During the 2014 Sharks International conference in Durban, I
interviewed shark experts from around the world for their views on shark bite mitigation strategies.

Operation White Shark (2013). This film documents my early research into the development of a nonlethal shark deterrent.

Predator Avoidance (2012). In this film, I share the results of my research investigating the avoidance
response of embryonic bamboo sharks when exposed to predator mimicking electric fields.
PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS

Kempster RM, Garza EG, Egeberg CA, Hart NS, O’Shea O and Collin SP (2014) Can bio-electric
signals help stingrays to find suitable mates? Sharks International Conference. 2nd – 6th June,
Durban, South Africa.

Kempster RM, Hart NS and Collin SP (2013) Survival of the stillest: Predator avoidance in shark
embryos. American Elasmobranch Society Conference. 11th – 14th July, New Mexico, U.S.A.

Kempster RM, Hart NS and Collin SP (2011) Electrosensory prey detection in benthic
elasmobranchs. Oceania Chondrichthyan Society Conference. 13th – 15th September, Gold Coast,
Australia.

Kempster RM and Collin SP (2010) The role of electroreception in the feeding behaviour of
elasmobranchs. International Society for Behavioural Ecology Conference. 26th September – 1st
October, Perth, Australia.

Kempster RM, McCarthy ID, Summerville R and Collin SP (2010) The role of electroreception in
the feeding behaviour of sharks. Sharks International Conference. 6th – 11th June, Cairns,
Australia.

Kempster RM and Collin SP (2010) The importance of electroreception to elasmobranchs.
Western Australian Marine Science Institution Conference. 1st February, Perth, Australia.
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PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

Senior First Aid (St. John’s Ambulance)
2013

Animal Ethics Welfare and Science (UWA)
2010

Divemaster and Master Scuba Diver (200 hrs + experience)
2007

International Powerboat License (150 hrs + experience)
2006

Full UK and CA Driving License (inc. 4x4 Training)
2003
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